If you have stage 4 pancreatic cancer, then with current medical
technology you have likely not been given any hope for getting better. Your cancer is terminal. In
fact, with many diseases, there is nothing that humanity can do to fix the
problem.

However, believers know that there is still hope for a miraculous healing from God. But as it turns out, miraculous healings perfectly explain how God's salvation actually works.

When a company comes out with a treatment for an incurable
illness, the cost of the treatment is often astronomical. However, many
treatments do not actually heal the patient. In the case of many cancers, the
goal is to poison you (via radiation or chemotherapy) in hopes that the cancer
dies before you do.

However, in the case of genetic disorders and many other
diseases, there is absolutely no hope of healing by human means.

When there is nothing humanly possible that can be done
about one of these permanent and sometimes terminal illnesses, then the value
of healing is much higher than money can buy. If a drug that poisons you, and
your cancer (and only slightly increases your chances of survival), can cost
over $300,000 per year, then how much do you think a miraculous 100% recovery
drug (with no side-effects) would cost?

The value of
receiving something impossible is infinite.

Let me say that again: If something is impossible to obtain,
then the value of that impossibility is infinite.

For example, if someone has lost an arm or leg, which of
course will always be impossible to restore – a mechanical arm is not the same
thing as actually having your arm back, then the fact that it is impossible to
restore such a thing gives it infinite value.

But let’s say it didn’t have infinite value. Let’s put a
monetary figure on it.

Imagine that someone makes you a deal: You can be healed of
your terminal illness (or have your arm back) for $900,000,000,000,000 ($900
Trillion), OR you can serve them with absolute obedience for the rest of your
life.

By the way, all the money in the entire world combined is
less than $100 Trillion. Which really only leaves you with one of two options:

Either serve that person with absolute obedience for the rest
of your life,

Or die from your terminal disease.

Which would you
choose?

You would be giving up your life in order to
restore your life...but at least you would be alive.

According to scripture, this is exactly how salvation works. Jesus says, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 NIV)

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to
someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are
slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness? …You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness.” (Romans 6:15-16,18 NIV)

Sin is a terminal illness that results in death, and
becoming a slave to righteousness is your “acceptance” of the cure.

Repentance is not simply saying, “I’m sorry.”

If someone hit you, said sorry, then hit you again the next
day and said sorry again, then hit you again over and over…are they really
sorry?

Repentance is discontinuing
all sin forever. The author of Hebrews says, “For if we sin willfully after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness
of fire which will devour the adversaries…How much worse punishment, do you
think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God,
and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an
unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29 WEB)

"Sin & Disease" and
"Salvation & Healing"

Just like healing an
incurable disease, salvation has infinite value:“‘Who then can be saved?’
Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all
things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:25-26 WEB)

Except that the way
to accept salvation has little value:“Will he thank the servant because
he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you
were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
(Luke 17:9-10 NIV)

This is why salvation cannot be earned. (Ephesians 2:9)
Doing something that you should have been doing all along (completely obeying
God) does not earn something of infinite value. This is also why Paul calls
salvation “the free gift of God” (Romans 6:23) because the only requirement to
be saved is repentance.

Really, God could require anything of us, and it
would still not earn this gift with infinite value. And in fact, according to Jesus, God does require
everything of us to be saved: "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 NIV)

Impossible NOT to
Sin?

But not sinning is impossible…Not true.

Sin is a product of loving yourself more than you love God.

James says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am
tempted by God,’ for God can't be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no
one. But
each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and
enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it
is full grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:13-15 WEB)

Sin is a self-seeking act. (Romans 2:8)

You can’t blame the devil
for being tempted. Except in rare cases, it’s our own selfish desires that tempt us.

And what does Jesus
say we are expected to do?

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37
WEB)

If you truly love God with all your heart, soul, strength,
and mind, then it would be impossible for you to sin. If you can sin, then it
means you still love yourself more
than God.

Why does no one believe John when he says, “Whoever is born of God doesn't
commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because
he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children
of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who
doesn't love his brother.” (1 John 3:9-10 WEB)

John is not speaking metaphorically. John is being as
literal and as clear as possible. He is writing a very direct letter to
“believers.”

Jesus Has the Final
Say

To prove that salvation is based on true
repentance, complete obedience to God, and never sinning again, let’s look at
what Jesus tells believers in Revelation:

“Wake up, and establish the things that remain, which were
ready to die, for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God.
Remember therefore how you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If
therefore you won't watch, I will come as a thief, and you won't know what hour
I will come on you. Nevertheless you have a few names in Sardis that did not
defile their garments. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He
who overcomes will be arrayed like this in white garments, and I
will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:2-5 WEB)

Jesus is speaking to believers,
warning them that they risk having their name removed from the book of life if
they do not truly repent. Obedience is the deciding factor on whether or not
our names are in the book of life. This is also Jesus’ teaching in the Parable
of the Sheep and Goats.

Jesus also says, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we
prophesy by your name, by your name cast out demons, and by your name do many
mighty works?' Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who
work iniquity.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Have you prophesied? Have you cast out demons? Have you done
many mighty works in Jesus name? Yet even these will not enter the kingdom of
God, because of their failure to truly repent.

Remember that it is Jesus, our savior, who says, “How narrow
is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who
find it.” (Matthew 7:14 WEB)

Why would Jesus make this statement about salvation if it
was actually super easy to be saved?

True Christians:
Being Worthy of Salvation

We are instructed to live as Jesus lived. (1 John 2:3-6) And
how did Jesus live? In complete obedience to God, even to the point of death.
(Philippians 2:8)

The author of Hebrews says, "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4 NIV)

Jesus modeled what it really means to be a Christian when he
said to the Father just before his death, “Nevertheless, not what I want, but
what you want.” (Matthew 26:39 WEB)

This is truly loving God more than you love yourself: Not what I want, but what you want.

By definition, such a person cannot sin because sin is a self-seeking
act.

Jesus is very clear about obeying God and salvation: “He who doesn't take his cross and follow after me, isn't worthy
of me.” (Matthew 10:38 WEB)

This is the truth. This is God’s
truth.

This is what God’s word says about his salvation.

So how are we saved?

The answer lies in obedience to the greatest commandment of
all: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your strength, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 WEB)

Jesus makes it clear that obeying the first and greatest commandment is how to be saved:

"Anyone
who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;
anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39 NIV)

Whoever gives up their life for Jesus will find eternal life. Whoever gives up loving themselves in exchange for loving Jesus with all their heart, all their soul, all their strength, and all their mind, will receive eternal life.

According to Jesus, it is only these who are worthy of him and his salvation.

And this is exactly what Jesus says in scripture, “Behold, a
certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, ‘Teacher, what will I do to
inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? How do you
read it?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your
neighbor as yourself.’ He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly. Do this,
and you will live.’” (Luke 10:25-28 WEB)

The truth is right here, right in front of our eyes, yet most
of us do not see what is plainly written.

It is just as Jesus said, regarding his
parables: “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see,
and hearing,
they don't hear, neither do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13 WEB)

What About Faith?

What about belief? What about what Paul says in Romans 10:9-10?

"That if you will confess with your mouth
the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved.For with the heart, one believes unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10 WEB)

One of the reasons why Paul is so misunderstood is because he has written long letters with lengthy thoughts. You cannot truly understand a letter like Romans unless you read it all the way through in one sitting (and that is not difficult to do - this article that you are almost done reading is about 4,000 words whereas Romans is only about 7,000 words1).

In Romans, Paul has spend most of his letter talking about the importance of not sinning:

"Do you know this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2:3 WEB)

"Or do you despise the riches of his goodness,
forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads
you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4 WEB)

"who 'will render to every man according to his works'...but to those who are self-seeking, and
don't obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and
indignation..." (Romans 2:6,8 WEB)

"but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter;
whose praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:29 WEB)

"Do we then make the law of no effect through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law." (Romans 3:31 WEB)

"What will we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2 WEB)

"Therefore don't let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Neither present your members to sin as
instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:12-13 WEB)

"Don't you know that to whom you present
yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey;
whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 WEB)

"that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:4 WEB)

"They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him..." (Titus 1:16 WEB)

So Paul is actually very clear on the role of sin in a Christian's life: there should be no sin.

When Paul gets to this statement about being saved in Romans 10:9-10, he has already stated, restated, and rehashed the importance of not sinning. Thus, he obviously does not feel that it is necessary to further elaborate on a subject he has already thoroughly covered.

Meaning, this statement in Romans 10:9-10 was never intended to be a "How You Are Saved in One Passage" kind of statement. When Paul wrote this statement, he probably never even dreamed that one day believers would insert numbers and divide his words into chapters.

These numbers and chapters are great for making references to particular passages, but they can be detrimental to understanding an author like Paul.

Now, certainly faith is an element of being saved. The author of Hebrews says, "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing
to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that
he is a rewarder of those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6 WEB)

However, this same author also says:

"For if we sin willfully after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for
sins..." (Hebrews 10:26 WEB)

"In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4 NIV)

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14 NIV)

Furthermore, James is very clear that faith without actions is worthless.

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man
says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14 WEB)

Can that faith save him? What an interesting statement to make if we are saved by faith alone.

"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself." (James 2:17 WEB)

"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:26 WEB)

So as Paul says in Titus 1:16, we can proclaim that we believe in Jesus and are saved, but then deny Jesus with our actions.

And Jesus says, "Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.
A good tree can't bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.
Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but only he who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:17-21 WEB)

This statement that Jesus makes is similar to what John says:

Jesus: "A good tree can't bring forth evil fruit..."

John: "Whoever is born of God doesn't
commit sin...and he can't sin..." (1 John 3:9 WEB)

So Now What?How to Receive God's Healing and Salvation

Now you know the truth of what the Bible really says about the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Now you know that those who are truly saved do not sin, according to scripture, because they love God more than they love themselves. This love for God is proven by their actions. They do what God wants them to do, not what they want to do.

Their mantra is the same as Jesus: Not what I want, but what you want God.

Will you continue to walk the wide and easy path of death?

OR

Will you walk the narrow and restricted path of life?

Matthew 7:13-14

While it is clear that not making this change, of loving God more than we love ourselves, will result in us not being saved, we should also heed the words of Jesus regarding those who know what God wants and still disobey:

"That servant, who knew his lord's will,
and didn't prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many
stripes..." (Luke 12:47 WEB)

Instead, be the one who overcomes their love of self. Be the one who truly repents of all sin.

"He
who overcomes will be arrayed like this in white garments, and I
will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:2-5 WEB)

Love God more than you love yourself.

Make your mantra the same as Jesus: Not what I want, but what you want God.

Jesus says, "For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15 NIV)